Playing Fields

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many applications for planning permission in relation to change of use of playing fields were received in 1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02; and how many of these applications were granted.

Lord Rooker: Sport England, the Government's adviser on sport, compiles statistics on playing field applications notified to it. The Government expect to publish these and other statistics on playing fields shortly.

Building Regulations: Part M

Lord Swinfen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the proposals for the revision of part M of the building regulations will be published for consultation.

Lord Rooker: My honourable friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government and the Regions who has responsibility for the building regulations, hopes to make an announcement about publication of the proposals for the revision of Part M before the Summer Recess.

Committee on Standards in Public Life: Remit

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will extend the remit of the Committee on Standards in Public Life to bodies such as the National Trust that have been set up by Act of Parliament, in order to ensure oversight of governance, elections and related matters.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The Government have no plans to extend the remit of the Committee on Standards in Public Life to such bodies.

Transport Projects Awaiting EC State Aids Approval

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will list transport projects currently awaiting state aids approval from the European Commission.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The Department for Transport is currently awaiting state aids approval from the European Commission in respect of the following transport projects: the UK Logistics Transaction Programme; the scheme to enable Railtrack to be brought out of administration on a financially sound and secure basis; the modernisation of the London Underground through a public/private partnership; and, a payment, in a specific case, of a grant in excess of 50 per cent under the freight facilities grant scheme.

Road Traffic Regulations: Metric Measurements

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why, in Parts II, III and IV of the Schedule to the M4 Motorway (Hillingdon and Hounslow) (Speed Limits) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/1651), distances are expressed in metres and kilometres instead of yards and miles; and whether this is lawful.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The use of metric measurements to express distances when making orders and regulations under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 is a long established convention. There is no provision to prevent this or make it unlawful.

Youth Justice Board: Annual Review 2001–02

Lord Merlyn-Rees: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the Youth Justice Board will publish its annual review for 2001–02.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Youth Justice Board annual review for 2001–02 has today been laid before Parliament. Copies have been placed in the Library. The Youth Justice Board was established in 1998 by the Crime and Disorder Act to reform the youth justice system. The annual review provides evidence of success in meeting the principal aim of the reformed youth justice system to prevent offending.
	The Government's pledge to halve the time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders has been achieved. It has been reduced from an average time of 142 days in 1997 to 67 days in the first quarter of 2002.
	The review shows that effective use has been made of police final warnings, bail supervision and support programmes, robust new sentences and the new intensive surveillance and supervision programme to reduce reoffending.
	The review also presents evidence that targeted prevention work with young people at risk, use of parenting programmes and education, employment and training initiatives are effective to prevent and reduce offending rates.

Helsinki Conference, 16 and 17 September 2002

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proposals they intend to make on behalf of the United Kingdom at the seventh conference of European Ministers responsible for migration affairs in Helsinki on 16 and 17 September 2002 for integration policies and migration management within the framework of the Council of Europe.

Lord Filkin: The Helsinki conference is one of a number of Council of Europe initiatives on integration. The intention is for Ministers to have a free-ranging, unfettered discourse on a pragmatic approach to integration issues and to exchange ideas and best practice.
	To facilitate discussions, a draft final declaration has been prepared. This is, of course, subject to change in the light of discussion and it will not be binding on member states.

Helsinki Conference, 16 and 17 September 2002

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to consult Parliament about their proposals to be made on behalf of the United Kingdom at the seventh conference of European Ministers responsible for migration affairs in Helsinki on 16 and 17 September 2002.

Lord Filkin: No. The Government do not intend to put any formal proposals to the conference. If, however, the noble Lord has any suggestion that he wishes to put forward in this regard, I would ask him to write to me.
	A report of the outcome of the conference will be made available to Members in the Library.

World Food Summit

Lord Howell of Guildford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proposals they have tabled at the current United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation meeting in Rome to meet the growing food crisis in central and southern Africa.

Baroness Amos: The United Kingdom tabled no proposals on the crisis at the FAO meeting "World Food Summit: five years later", which took place from 10 to 13 June in Rome and which was held to review progress in tackling global hunger. The United Kingdom Government are working with partner governments, United Nations organisations and non-governmental organisations to address the growing crisis in central and southern Africa. A meeting of Governments, NGOs and donors, hosted by the United Nations, was held in Johannesburg on 6 and 7 June to assess humanitarian needs and consider responses. Following the meeting, the United Kingdom committed nearly £50 million to meet urgent humanitarian needs.

World Food Summit

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their estimate of the outcome of the recent World Food Summit in Rome.

Baroness Amos: The Government share the widely held view that the "World Food Summit: five years later"—which was interposed between the 1996 Summit and the "plus ten" review due in 2006—did not justify the substantial financial and opportunity costs involved, both for FAO and its membership. The Government will work with the UN and like-minded member states to promote a more action-orientated, forward-looking, follow-up to UN conferences which concentrates on implementation rather than a review of existing agreements.
	The Government's approach to food security in developing countries is set out in the policy paper Eliminating Hunger—Strategy for Achieving the Millennium Development Goal on Hunger launched on 13 June and a draft consultation paper Better livelihoods for poor people: the role of agriculture. These papers are in the Libraries of both Houses.

Agricultural Subsidies

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their policy towards agricultural subsidies in the context of the fight against world poverty.

Baroness Amos: The UK recognises the damaging impact of trade distorting agriculture subsidies on developing countries' agriculture sectors. The EU's heavy use of subsidies encourages over-production, which depresses world prices and so constrains agriculture investment in developing countries. In 2000 alone, the EU spent 98 billion euros on agriculture subsidies. At the Doha ministerial meeting last year it was agreed that agriculture negotiations would aim to achieve ''substantial improvements in market access; reductions of, with a vew to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies; and substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support''. We are committed to ensure that these negotiations result in liberalisation that will benefit the world's poor. Further, we are committed to pushing for significant reform of the common agriculture policy in order to achieve, amongst other objectives, a reduction in export and domestic subsidies.

Tanzania: Air Traffic Control System

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What discussions they have had with the World Bank on the recent sale of a British-made air traffic control system to Tanzania and on its merits in terms of the economic and social needs of that country.

Baroness Amos: DfID has had discussions with the World Bank and the Government of Tanzania (GoT) about the air traffic control issue.
	The World Bank has recently funded the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to review Tanzania's civil air navigation requirements. The ICAO has produced its report, which the GoT are now considering.

Mr Manoochehr Mohammadi

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What response they consider should be made by the European Union to the letter addressed to the Heads of Government of the European Union from Mr Manoochehr Mohammadi, the Iranian student leader imprisoned with his brother in Evin prison, alleging that he had been tortured.

Baroness Amos: I am told we have not yet received this letter.

Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks

Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What were the reasons for 64 Challenger 2 main battle tanks not being fully operational at 31 March.

Lord Bach: The reasons for 64 Challenger 2 main battle tanks not being fully operational as at 31 March are given below:
	13 main battle tanks were awaiting spare parts for repair at unit level. These demands were being processed using normal procedures.
	11 tanks were awaiting labour and would be worked on when skilled manpower could be made available.
	Two main battle tanks were awaiting facilities, one for workshop space to carry out a turret lift and the other awaiting a crane to carry out a power pack lift at unit level to continue investigating a fault.
	38 main battle tanks in 1 (UK) Armoured Division were awaiting repair at Royal Electrical Mechanical and Engineering Battalions. Eleven of them require auxiliary power units, six require power pack replacements from Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (REME) battalions, four require repair to power packs at REME battalions, two require digital automotive services control units, 12 require turret electronic gun control equipment line replaceable units and three require thermal imaging component repair.
	It should be noted that the data requested is taken from the Land Equipment Availability Register which reports quarterly and, as equipment availability changes on a daily basis, only represents a ''snapshot'' of availability.

Environmental Tectonics Corporation: RAF Centrifuge Contract

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What date they terminated their contract with Environmental Tectonics Corporation to supply the RAF centrifuge.

Lord Bach: The contract with Environmental Tectonics Corporation to supply the RAF centrifuge was terminated on 20 July 2001.

Environmental Tectonics Corporation: RAF Centrifuge Contract

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How long after the contractural in-service date of the RAF centrifuge they became aware of the inability of Environmental Tectonics Corporation to compete the project; and whether the contract with Environmental Tectonics Corporation specified a procedure and a nominated alternative supplier, should Environmental Tectonics Corporation prove unable to compete the project.

Lord Bach: The information sought is the subject of legal proceedings between the Ministry of Defence and the company and as a result I am withholding it in accordance with Exemption 4 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information which relates to legal proceedings.

Cyprus

Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many troops the guarantor powers of Greece and Turkey have on the island of Cyprus.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The 1960 Treaty of Alliance allows for there to be 950 Greek troops and 650 Turkish troops on Cyprus. The actual numbers of Greek and Turkish national forces on the island are a matter of dispute between the various parties concerned. No authoritative figures are available.

Trading Standards: "Green" or "Environmental" Claims

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What prosecutions the Department of Trade and Industry has recommended be pursued because "green" or "environmental" claims were made for a product which, in the department's view, were false or misleading.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: None. It is not a function of this department to recommend that individual cases be prosecuted or pursued under the relevant legislation. The Trade Descriptions Act 1968 and the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988 (as amended) are enforced by local authority trading standards officers and the Director-General of Fair Trading, respectively. The 1988 regulations are also one of the pieces of legislation covered by the Stop Now Orders (EC Directive) Regulations 2001, which provide trading standards departments and a number of other regulators with powers to apply for a court order to stop the publication of a misleading advertisement, as defined in the regulations, which harms the collective interests of consumers.

Scotland: Nuclear Power Stations

The Earl of Mar and Kellie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 25 June (WA 131), what is their policy on the replacement of nuclear power stations in Scotland, and the redevelopment of nuclear power station sites.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The replacement of nuclear power stations in Scotland and the redevelopment of nuclear power stations sites would be a commercial matter for the industry, but any proposal to construct a power station in Scotland would require the consent of Scottish Ministers.

Disabled Pupils: Exclusion

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the relationship between the draft revised guidance on exclusion from school and the forthcoming disability discrimination duties which protect disabled pupils from exclusion.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The new provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act, which comes into force in September 2002, have been taken into account in the revised draft guidance on exclusions published in January 2002. Schools will be under new duties not to treat disabled pupils less favourably than their non-disabled peers without justification and to take reasonable steps to ensure that disabled pupils are not placed at a substantial disadvantage. However, explanation of the new duties was beyond the scope of the draft revised guidance and readers, especially those involved in exclusion decisions or appeals, were strongly recommended to read and familiarise themselves with the code of practice produced by the Disability Rights Commission.

EU Proposal Directives

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their attitude to the European Union's proposed:
	(a) Food Supplement Directive;
	(b) Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive; and
	(c) amendments to the Medicines Directive.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The directive on food supplements has now been adopted. It establishes a framework for harmonised controls on vitamin and mineral content of food supplements and introduces a number of useful labelling measures. The Food Standards Agency argued strongly in negotiations for a safety-based approach to this directive rather than the more restrictive approach favoured by the majority of other member states. The text represents a compromise which secured a number of hard-won concessions and which the Government finally supported as the best achievable outcome.
	There are widely acknowledged weaknesses in the current regime in the United Kingdom for unlicensed herbal remedies placed on the market under Section 12(2) of the Medicines Act 1968. The proposed Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products potentially redresses deficiencies in relation to quality and safety standards and systematic product information for the consumer. A large number of herbal remedies should be able to demonstrate traditional use under the terms of the directive. In the light of a consultation exercise on the directive carried out by the Medicines Control Agency (MCA), the Government recognise that, while there is considerable support for many of the provisions of the directive, there are also significant concerns, particularly in parts of the health food sector. These relate principally to the issue of whether some of the proposed quality and manufacturing standards are over-regulatory and whether some products currently legally sold under Section 12(2) might fall outside the scope of the directive.
	We have extended the consultation period until the end of July in order to allow those expressing concerns to identify specific examples where they believe the directive to be over-regulatory or too restrictive. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Ms Hazel Blears) and I will also be meeting representatives of the herbal sector in July. We will review the Government's negotiating priorities on the directive in the light of the additional points that may emerge from this further consultation and dialogue during July.
	The European Commission made proposals for wide ranging changes to the body of legislation that regulates medicines for human and veterinary use, of which the Medicines Code (Directive 2001/83/EC) is part, in November 2001. These changes are designed to improve the regulation of licensed medicinal products, including homoeopathic products. The Government support the overall objectives of the European Commission's review but there are some specific proposals about which we have concerns. In particular, the Government are concerned about a proposal that would extend the scope of the medicines legislation to products that fall within the definition of a medicinal product, even if that product is already regulated under other sectoral legislation. The United Kingdom is firmly opposed to this proposal and is resisting it strongly in the negotiations.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Lord Turnberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their position on cognitive behaviour therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome as recommended and practiced by Professor Simon Wessley and his colleagues.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: It is not for the Department of Health to comment on the practice of individual doctors. There is no one form of treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis. Treatment to relieve the wide variety of symptoms that patients can experience is a matter for individual doctors to decide in consultation with the patient. Cognitive behaviour therapy is known to be helpful to some patients with physical and psychiatric illness to improve quality of life and day-to-day functioning.
	Professor Wessley was invited, and accepted, to be a member of the reference group to the CFS/ME Independent Working Group which reported to the Chief Medical Officer in January 2002, and is a respected clinician.

Animal Feed: Nitrofen Contamination

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many cases of nitrofen have been identified in animal feed in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years; and
	What measures the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is taking to prevent the importation of nitrofen-contaminated animal feed.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency that there have been no cases of nitrofen contamination identified in animal feed in the United Kingdom in the past five years.
	The Food Standards Agency is closely monitoring the case of nitrofen contamination of animal feed in Germany, which is thought to be an isolated incident. At a recent emergency meeting in Brussels of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, Germany reported that no contaminated feed was sent to the UK. The European Commission is keeping the situation under constant review and keeping member states fully informed under the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed.
	The Food Standards Agency has alerted the UK feed industry to check any feed obtained from Germany for nitrofen. The Food Standards Agency will continue to monitor the position.

NHS: Clinical Negligence Cases

Baroness Greengross: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, as part of the reform of medical negligence procedures, responsibility to settle small claims up to £15,000 will be given to the National Health Service Litigation Authority; and
	Whether they have decided not to allow small medical negligence claims to be handled by an independent dispute resolution service.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Chief Medical Officer is presently investigating a range of options for reforming the way clinical negligence cases are handled. Neither the Chief Medical Officer nor Minsters have yet come to any final conclusions.

NHS: Clinical Negligence Cases

Baroness Greengross: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether an independent evaluation has been or will be completed of the National Health Service Litigation Authority's work on medical negligence.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The National Audit Office reported on the National Health Service Litigation Authority's handling of claims in May 2001. A Public Accounts Committee hearing followed in October 2001 and the PAC published its report on this earlier this month.

National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit: 10th Annual Report

Baroness Pitkeathley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will publish the 10th annual report of the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit's 10th annual report has been published today. The report documents the unit's findings in relation to sporadic, familial and iatrogenic Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (CJD), and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), up to 31 December 2001. Copies have been placed in the Library, and are available on the Unit's website at www.cjd.ed.ac.uk.

Vaccines: Animal Materials

Baroness Pitkeathley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they would make an announcement about the use of animal material in the manufacture of vaccine.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: There have been guidelines for the pharmaceutical industry to follow on the use of certain animal materials in the production of vaccines and other medicines since 1989. The latest version of the guidelines was drawn up by the European scientific committee, the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP), and adopted in May 2001. The latest version of the guidelines became legally binding from 1 July 2000 for new applications for a licence for a medicinal product and from 1 March 2001 for products that were already licensed.
	The scope of guidance at any one time, and its implications for pharmaceutical companies, have often been unclear. Following a thorough review of the information supplied to Parliament on bovine spongiform encephalopathy-related issues in vaccines, the Government have established that, regrettably, incorrect and misleading information was given to Ministers by the Medicines Control Agency and thus has been given in response to a number of Parliamentary Questions. My honourable friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Ms Blears), made a Statement in the other place on Friday 5 July setting out the reasons for these errors and the current state of compliance with the guidelines. An account of the questions incorrectly answered and the correct information has now been placed in the Library, and letters sent to Members of both Houses who asked those questions.
	We have also placed in the Library:
	a copy of the Government's Chief Medical Officer's report on the withdrawal of the Medeva-Evans oral polio vaccine in October 2000;
	a copy of the Committee on Safety of Medicine's (CSM) consolidated review of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) agents and the safety of United Kingdom authorised human medicines;
	a report by the MCA that explains in detail the development of the guidance for the pharmaceutical industry to follow on the use of certain animal-derived materials in the manufacture of medicines, and the approach taken by the agency to its implementation.
	For all practical purposes, nothing in the reports that have been published changes the safety profile of any vaccine licensed for use in the UK. In particular, the CSM's review is reassuring in concluding that there are no TSE-related issues arising from the use of animal materials in the manufacture of UK licensed vaccines.

Capital Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs news release 244/02 of 25 June, what progress has been made in putting into place arrangements to distribute the Capital Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund, specifically for the London region; when work on making the arrangements began; and what completion target has been set for the distribution of the £21.3 million.

Lord Whitty: Officials have been involved in negotiating the formal contract between DEFRA and London Waste Action which is leading on behalf of a partnership of the Mayor of London, the Association of London Government and London Waste Action. This process is nearing completion. The partnership has drawn up a comprehensive scheme to cover the arrangements for the evaluation and approval of applications to the Capital Fund.
	Work on the detailed negotiations between DEFRA and the partnership began in March 2002.
	The partnership has approved a delivery strategy and business plan that sets out the priorities for the fund and its spending plans. Under the terms of the draft contract this will require approval by DEFRA. The fund intends to have allocated the total £21.3 million by April 2003.